Saint's Log

Horse Ownership Basics

Horse Trailers

We have been searching for horse trailer and wanted to learn the types of things people consider before buying one. We started with this video by Equine Helper:

The factors she mentioned include:

1. Your vehicle’s towing capacity (trailer weight + the weight of the horses). This is the first time I’ve ever thought about how much a horse weighs. See How Much Does a Horse Weigh: Understanding Equine Weight – All About Horses.
2. The length of your vehicle’s wheelbase (longer is better).
3. The difference between the weight of the vehicle and the loaded trailer.
4. The vehicle’s braking system, e.g. can it use the trailer’s brakes?
5. The limits on the vehicle’s payload (weight of passengers & cargo inside the vehicle itself) when towing.
6. Trailer style:
   • Straight load vs slant load vs stock trailers. Stock trailers don’t have support (e.g. for sudden braking), are open so projectiles can injure your horse
   • Trailer ventilation: (e.g. untreated ceilings can get really hot). Consider one with windows that can open, or ceilings that can be opened.
7. The hitch on the towing vehicle needs to support the tongue weight of the trailer.
8. The receiver needs to match the ball size of the trailer.

The video links to the Double D Trailers website, which has this relevant and detailed article: Horse Trailer Safety Standards Guide: Ensuring Equine Welfare – Double D Trailers. They also have various Bumper Pull Horse Trailers For Sale (which is interesting since I can see the price ranges of such new trailers).

This next video was helpful as well because it focuses on the practical considerations when buying a used horse trailer.

Horseshoes

We were hiking recently when we came across some hoof-prints in the mud. The kids asked: why do horses need horseshoes? This page has a detailed explanation: Do horses need shoes? The pros and cons of shoeing (horseandcountry.tv). I also picked 2 videos from the do horses need shoes – YouTube search. The first was interesting because it showed the shoeing process.

The next video was helpful since his perspective is informed by his profession.

Cost of Horse Ownership

After having our horse reshoed more often than is reasonable, I looked ran this search: how much does it cost to own a horse – YouTube? It’s interesting how many of the results for these horse queries are from Equine Helper.

Some of the factors affecting the price of a horse include the:

1. the amount/type of training a horse has
2. the registration and pedigree: there are breed associations?? See Breed association| Britannica and Associations | Equine Science (iastate.edu), for example. For details on the pedigree, see Understanding Horse Bloodlines: The Basics of Pedigrees – Horse lovers With Passion.
3. breed of the horse

Horse Breeds

The discussion in the previous video mentioned a number of breeds, none of which I’m familiar with. The List of horse breeds – Wikipedia is much longer than I expected! I look up horse breeds on YouTube and find this video of her favorite breeds. She lists these:

1. the Appaloosa (which is also apparently prone to Equine recurrent uveitis).
2. the Fjord horse (what is a draft horse?)
3. Morgan horse (what is a quarter horse?)
4. Miniature horse
5. Icelandic horse

Our horse is a Thoroughbred and is 16 hands tall. This is another thing that has puzzled me. Why is horse height measured in hands? Looks like it goes back to before standardized units as explained in the video below.

Working with your horse

Our thoroughbred had a leg/foot injury. After a few weeks without being able to ride him, he was quite a handful when my wife hopped on him once more. She worked with him, and things are much better. However, I decided to learn what advice is given on how to not get thrown off a horse and what to do if it happens. This next video is one of the results I found on this. It includes tips like keeping your nose behind your belly button, learning how to do a one rein stop (while not leaning forward), and getting off as soon as you feel uncomfortable.

A YouTube suggestion that came up afterwards was this video on gentle horse training. I find the approach interesting because she shows the frustration of the horse and the progression of the training.

One of the risks that came up when working with our horse was the fact that we didn’t have a round pen. I didn’t know why a round pen is used – and why is it round anyway? The Benefits of Using a Round Pen | Ride Magazine came to my rescue: you don’t have to teach the horse to stay out of the corners! The round pen size needs to match the speed/character of the horse as well.

…what is neat about a round pen, it is a small, quiet, safe environment and it makes it easier to get control of the feet.

The Benefits of Using a Round Pen | Ride Magazine

Horse Nutrition

One of the things I’ve found myself marveling at is how such an animal can be so big and muscular while just eating grass. Where does the protein come from? And this horse really likes alfalfa, which I had seen around the property without knowing what this plant was. I haven’t looked too keenly but there didn’t seem to be any videos addressing the breakdown of the nutritional value of grass.

A search for videos on the nutritional value of hay – YouTube is closer to what I want. I like this next video for its overview of things hay growers consider:

There are so many considerations in horse ownership. I’m happy to have my eyes opened into how this world is run, not to mention a new appreciation for some of the rodeo performances!